Original subtitles

Satoko's absent again today?

Mew.

She's been out a while for a cold. I hope she gets well soon.

Yeah.

At the time, I didn't have a clue as to what had befallen Satoko

and what things were going to happen.

"CURSE KILLING

CHAPTER TWO: THE BOND"

{OP}

{Episode}

Here!

Yay, Maebara-san!

You're the best in Japan!

Don't forget you owe me!

Right, we'll never forget this!

They really know how to get by.

Hey. Hello.

Sorry to bother you during your lunch break.

Yeah.

I'm from the Okinomiya Police Department.

My name is Oishi.

The staff room is over there...

Oh, no, it's not that.

Could you call Hojo Satoko-san out for me?

What do the police want with Satoko?

Oh, nothing much. It's not a big deal.

I guess I'm not allowed to meet with her without an appointment.

Oh, hello.

May I have a second?

I'd like you to call Hojo Satoko-san out for me.

Um, Hojo-san is absent today.

Absent?

Oh dear. I'm not having much luck today.

Would you tell me the name of this gentleman here?

He is Maebara Keiichi-san.

Oh, so you must be the scion of the Maebara family.

I heard your father is a famous artist.

Why, does it matter?

You shouldn't be making enemies in a place like this.

Otherwise...

You might have some odd grudge

come right back at you when you least expect it.

I think you should stop there.

Well, well. If it isn't Dr. Irie.

I was thinking of coming by your office later on as well.

We can't seem to have a nice talk since you're always busy.

Then I suggest you bring a warrant,

since I can voluntarily refuse questioning and going to the station.

He's Oishi Kuraudo, a detective.

Oishi...

It hurt so much, but there isn't a single bruise.

That man is used to doing these things.

He said he wanted to see Satoko about something.

Satoko-chan?

He's a stubborn man.

Does he come to see Satoko often?

Maebara-san, have you heard about Oyashiro-sama's curse

and Satoko-chan at least a little?

Oh, you mean how Satoko's parents were dam proponents

and Oyashiro-sama's curse caused them to fall to their deaths?

After their parents passed away,

she and her brother moved in with their uncle and his wife.

Really?

The uncle was her father's younger brother.

I never heard that.

But I heard that life after that

was very difficult for Satoko-chan and her brother.

"Difficult"?

Abuse.

However, luckily or unluckily,

on festival night last year,

the aunt was beaten to death by a drug addict.

The entire village gossiped that the death

wasn't a simple murder case, but was Oyashiro-sama's curse.

The uncle feared Oyashiro-sama's curse and went into hiding.

I heard he went crawling to his mistress's place in Okinomiya.

So, then Satoko was free?

Yes, but that man started to appear

as though he was taking her uncle's place.

That man?

Oishi.

But why does he need to follow Satoko around?

I heard a rumor that worries me.

A rumor?

Yes. I heard he's back.

Who's back?

Hojo's uncle...

What does his return have to do with Satoko's absence?

I...I don't know about that...

What do you mean, "you don't know"?

Sorry.

No problem.

Satoko...

This house is...

Coach?

Maebara-san.

I didn't expect to see you here.

Satoko?

I coincidentally ran into Coach on the way back from shopping.

He said he'd drive me home, so I gratefully accepted.

A bicycle couldn't carry so much.

Satoko, this...

Satoko! You left while the kettle was on!

You idiot!

I'm sorry.

You said to go shopping right away, so...

Idiot!

Well, well! If it isn't Dr. Irie!

I coincidentally ran into Satoko-chan.

Is that so?

Hey, Tecchan.

What, Tsubaki? Li-zhi again?

My uncle's friends are visiting from town

and playing mahjong.

What the hell?

He's busy playing around and makes you go buy this stuff?

Those bruises... What happened?

Hey!

That bastard!

I know how you feel. But please hold back for now.

Thank you, Keiichi-san.

Satoko...

Just now, you looked like my real nii-nii.

My real nii-nii is gone,

but I now have a new nii-nii named Keiichi-san.

I'll never run away.

Satoko!

Hurry up and bring over the food!

Where in the world did Satoshi go?

All we can say is that he ran away.

If he was going to run away, why didn't he take her too?

I bet Satoko-chan thought the same thing when she was left behind.

That she was a burden to her brother and was left behind.

No way...

You can separate parent and child under the Child Welfare Act

as an emergency measure to ensure a child's safety,

but Satoko-chan doesn't want that.

Satoko doesn't?

It seems she believes enduring her uncle's abuse is her ordeal.

She wants to overcome it alone without depending on others.

She believes without such strength, Satoshi-kun won't return.

So then Satoko...

She won't admit the abuse.

No way...

Of course, if the abuse were made public, the child consultation office

can forcibly take her into protective custody despite that.

But for Satoko-chan, that means she's been defeated.

Her reason for living is to become strong and wait for Satoshi-kun's return.

If I...

If I really feel that she's in danger, I'll report it without hesitation.

Even if she ends up hating me later on!

Why would you go so far...?

Huh?

Oh, excuse me.

You're from Hinamizawa, right?

Yes...

Can you tell me how to get to Furude Shrine from here?

If you don't mind going together, I can take you.

I'm Tomitake, a freelance photographer.

I'm Maebara.

Oh, Maebara-kun.

Hello.

Oh, do you know each other?

Um...

You still can't remember me?

Huh?

Takano Miyo-san.

She works at the village clinic.

I don't blame you.

We've only passed a few times on the road.

Oh, I see.

It seems you're pretty famous.

What?

Why of course, since you're the scion of the Maebara family.

Are you two colleagues?

Oh, we're no colleagues.

I'm just a beginner being introduced to it.

The cotton drifting festival starts in two days, right?

I plan to take pictures starting with tomorrow's setup.

The festival for giving thanks to Oyashiro-sama, right?

Yes, the festival to give thanks to Oyashiro-sama.

Oyashiro-sama, who curses the village's enemies, huh?

If it happens again this year, I wonder who it will be...

Those incidents?

Yes.

Can someone die from something like a curse?

But those incidents really did occur, right?

What if, for instance, someone is imitating the curse to kill people?

Do you know something, Takano-san?

I don't mind telling you if you want.

I was really worried that you were going to be absent too.

I heard Satoko-chan called in and said her cold seems to be lasting longer.

Since we feel bad for her, we were thinking of visiting her.

What are you saying, Rika-chan?

All of you know Satoko isn't really sick, right?

Don't ever say such shameless things again!

Who'd you hear that from?

I saw yesterday.

It's not just you, Keiichi-kun.

It's hard for everyone.

I'm sorry.

Stand! Bow!

Goodbye.

Kei-chan, let's go home. You're not up for club activities, right?

Oh, Mion, can I come over to your house today?

I want to borrow some manga...

Sure.

SONOZAKI

So, what's up?

You had something to discuss, right?

I do.

Something quite serious.

You might be bewildered at such a sudden topic,

but hear me out.

As a leader of the three great families of Onigafuchi Village,

as well as the next family head, Sonozaki Mion.

Where'd you hear that?

That's irrelevant.

It seems you know a lot about me that may or may not be true.

So what are you trying to say?

You know about Oyashiro-sama's curse, right?

If this year's curse isn't set to fall on Satoko's uncle,

please change it to him.

I heard that Oyashiro-sama's curse is...

Um...

That they're caused by the three great families,

led by the Sonozakis, and the whole village, right?

I...I'm not interested in whether you're involved or not.

But if you can contact those who choose the curse's target,

I just want you to tell them to choose Satoko's uncle. Please!

Are you calling me a murderer, Kei-chan?

I don't care whether you're the ringleader or not involved!

I just want to save Satoko!

So, curse Satoko's uncle this year...

Stop.

I'd like to prepare dinner soon, so could you leave for today?

Mion...

I totally understand how you feel.

If I really were, as you say, in the position to manipulate

the three great families' choice of victim,

then I'd probably grant your wish.

Mion!

But the reality is different.

I'm just Sonozaki Mion.

It's true there are various bad rumors about the Sonozakis,

but we'd never do something as appalling as murder.

I'm sorry.

Oh, those are Satoko-chan's shoes!

Right?

You're right.

We can't say much just because she's back.

Satoko!

Mew.

What is it?

It's only the morning, but you're all so noisy.

Satoko-chan.

Who called the child probation officer?

Honestly, it was such a mess.

A child probation officer came?

Out of the blue, and my uncle and I were very annoyed.

Jeez.

What happened to your uncle?

We admitted some misunderstandings

and both apologized.

Mew.

What, Rika-chan?

Satoko told the officer nothing was wrong and sent them away.

Who called them?

Chie-sensei.

She knew?

She's the homeroom teacher after all.

She sent them away herself, huh?

Yes.

But no matter how she denies it, the abuse is a fact, right?

This is the third time.

There were two reports of Satoko and child abuse in the past.

In the past?

Yes.

Even with her late father.

Her late father wasn't her real father.

Satoko's mother remarried.

Satoko and Satoshi were born before that

and had no blood ties to their father.

Even before Satoko was in her uncle and his wife's care,

she didn't have a good family relationship.

In order to trick her stepfather,

Satoko made up an abuse story and called the abuse hotline,

but the officer found out the truth.

Then they think it's a lie again?

I don't know.

But at the very least, I think she wasn't put in protective custody.

What's with that?

Then that means that since Satoko might be lying,

they're just observing the case?

Satoko...

Well, it's time for lunch.

Mew.

Look, look! It's omelet rice today!

Nice, Rena-san!

If you suddenly said you were going to be a bride, it would be no surprise.

Me, a bride?

Satoko...

Nii-nii.

Satoko-chan?

Hey, what's wrong?

Satoko!

Satoko-chan...

S...Satoko, are you all right?

No!

Satoko, what's wrong with you?

No more... no... no...

No.

No... no... no...

N... No...

Satoko...

I...I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry...

I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

Satoko...

{ED}

{Preview}

NEXT EPISODE

What was sought was the usual daze.

What's heard is the sound of malicious rain.

What drifted away was the door to darkness.

When They Cry.

"Curse Killing Chapter Three: The Borderline."

Can you believe it?